For those of you who attended the For the Love of Kids Parenting Conference this past Saturday, I don't have to tell you that it was a wonderful experience. For those of you that missed it -mark your calendars for next year! One of the themes that resounded with me, as I listened to the speakers, was the value of teaching our children to treat others with dignity. Rosalind Wiseman spoke about the concept with the specific word -- Dignity. So, I looked up the definition. Webster's dictionary defines dignity: the quality or state of being worthy.
Although Wiseman made a point to specifically use the word, dignity, in her talk, many of the other experts were talking about the same concept. This concept was the nugget that I took from the conference. The idea of treating others with dignity pertained to so many areas of my family's life, especially recently - such a simple idea with such a powerful and all encompassing effect.
As a family we paid close attention to the election. We each had our opinions. Within our extended family there began a civil war. Each side completely empassioned about their feelings about who would be elected. What an opportunity to teach my kids about treating others with dignity! It is hard to treat others with dignity when you don't agree with their opinions. In the end, the election result was, (in my opinion,) the biggest lesson of all about treating others with dignity. Hard to imagine not having a tear in your eye, (especially, seeing those who have lived through segregation in the audience at Grant Park,) when you heard the speeches of the two canidates after all of the votes were counted.
I realized too, important things that you want to teach your children can be communicated through action-- no doubt. By modeling behavior our children learn the most. But it is important to have conversation and verbalize lessons to our children during teachable moments, as well. Explain to your children why you choose to act in certain ways. Let them know what it means to treat others with dignity. And as Wiseman said, "It's easy to treat someone with dignity when you like them; it's hard to do when you don't like them, but that is when it is most important."
As a parent I want to be intentional about the values I choose to instill in my children. I want to be aware of by behavior and use opportunities to teach my children how to be treated with dignity and how to treat others with dignity.
